Condensate removal means for air conditioners



Sept. 17, 1968 K. E. MARSTELLER CONDENSATE REMOVAL MEANS FOR AIR CONDITIONERS Filed Jan. 26, 1967 INVENTOR. lam 777 MAIJVZYZFA United States Patent 3,401,534 CONDENSATE REMOVAL MEANS FOR AIR CONDITIONERS Kenneth E. Marsteller, Willow Grove, Pa., assignor to Philco-Ford Corporation, Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation of Delaware Filed Jan. 26, 1967, Ser. No. 612,032 Claims. (Cl. 62-280) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An air conditioner having a blower wheel including disc means dipping into a condensate sump. Rotation of the blower, equipped with discs, results in entrainment of the condensate in the condenser air stream. Shrouds associated with the discs prevent discharge of condensate out of the air conditioner through the blower inlet port.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field 0 the invention This invention provides an air conditioner of the kind including a blower of the cross'flow type, and is especially concerned with the disposal of condensate which forms on the air conditioner evaporator.

2. Description of the prior art In cross-flow blower air conditioners heretofore known to the art difficulties have been encountered in disposing of the condensate which forms on the evaporator. Since air is inletted to the blower across its entire face, instead of axially thereof, the usual arrangements for entraining condensate in the air stream are not feasible, particularly since the blower would tend to expel the condensate out of the machine through its air inlet opening. Attempts have been made to meet this problem, for example by providing a belt to carry the condensate to a point of disposal, but these prior arrangements have been complicated and relatively expensive.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The invention overcomes the problems encountered in the prior art by providing a new combination of cross flow air circulating blower and rotary disc elements extending perpendicular to the axis of the blower and spaced along the axis thereof. In a preferred embodiment of the invention the blades and disc elements are combined to form a unitary wheel structure and the blower is so disposed within the air conditioner that the discs dip into a condensate sump. The apparatus of the invention is featured by the provision of an arcuate channel or shroud for each disc, the shrouds being constructed and arranged to prevent condensate water, centrifugally propelled by the discs into the condenser air stream, from being expelled and lost through the air inlet of the condenser blower.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 10 is provided, which is mounted in an aperture of a Wall W which separates a room R from an outer region 0.

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The cabinet desirably is of the so-called compact type. It contains the usual evaporator E, to cool and dehumidify an air stream which it receives through evaporator inlet EI and filter F, and which returns to room R through outlet EO. Incident to the dehumidifying of the air stream, condensate water is ordinarily deposited on evaporator surfaces exposed to this air stream. This condensate must be removed from the evaporator to permit proper and continued operation of the air conditioner.

The condensate is removed through a condenser C, as is usual in general, but the invention uses a new, specific combination of elements for this purpose. Conduit means 11 are provided for gravitational transfer of the condensate from the bottom of evaporator E to a specially arranged sump 12, disposed at the bottom of condenser chamber CC. Except for conduit 11, the condenser chamber is separated from evaporator chamber EC by a divider D. The divider structure, through which this conduit extends, also includes the usual guides SC, SE, one in each chamber CC, EC. These guides cooperate in known manner with the blower wheels, to be described presently, and each wheel has the usual vortex-forming member VC, VE. Advantageously, sump 12 for condensate water is co-extensive with air conditioner condenser unit C, and this unit extends over large part of the width of air conditioner cabinet 10, as shown in FIGURE 2. Two blower wheel structures 13, 14 extend similarly across the width of the device, and are installed, respectively, in an upper part of evaporator chamber EC and a lower part of condenser chamber CC, the latter directly above sump 12. Both blowers are of the cross-flow type, and are associated with the corresponding guides SC, SE and vortex formers VC, VE, as is known for such blowers in general.

In accordance with the invention, condenser blower wheel 14 is equipped with a series of radially extending flanges 15, perpendicular to the axis of the blower, which flanges may also be called annular disc elements. As best shown in FIGURE 3 these flanges are arranged to dip into sump 12 in order to dispose of condensate accumulating in this sump. A unitary wheel structure 14 is provided, which includes flanges 15 and also the required air impelling cross-flow blades or vanes 16. The latter vanes are held between solid end plates P of wheel structure 14, as is known to the art. The Wheel structure is rotated by suitable drive means, and a belt 17 interconnects it with evaporator blower wheel 13. The condensate pickup flanges 15, which are characteristic of the new wheel, tend to discharge condensate centrifugally in all directions in their plane of rotation. Advantageously, such condensate then enters the air stream passing through condenser C, and is evaporated on the condenser surfaces.

A problem arises from the fact that the machine, as indicated above, is usually built in compact form. As a result of such construction, condenser cross-flow blower 7 wheel 14 must be installed in the close vicinity of condenser air inlet CI. This arrangement, combined with the use of condensate pickup flanges 15, tends to cause centrifugal discharge of some condensate through this air inlet. Such discharge is undesirable, a any condensate so discharged would not be evaporated. Therefore, each annular disc or flange 15 of the new blower wheel unit advantageously has a shroud or channel 18, of arcuate form, to prevent condensate ejection through the air inlet port. Each channel extends along a certain arcuate portion of the rim of the corresponding flange 15, to wit, the portion of such rim disposed near air inlet CI. The open side of each channel 18 faces an arcuate edge portion of the corresponding flange 15, extends concentrically along said edge, and envelops the same but is slightly wider than the flange is thick so that the flange can freely rotate in the channel. The channels rise from sump 12 so that condensate projected onto the channel inside walls drains back along these walls into the sump.

Several condensate discharge and control units, each comprising .a flange and channel 18, are thus provided. These units are spaced, one from the other, by suitable distances axially of the condenser blower wheel (FIG- URE 2), for instance as shown, by distances up to the approximate length of the diameter of a flange 15. By means of this arrangement the channels do not seriously impede the air flow induced by the blower, while they fully prevent any discharge of condensate through the air inlet.

Adjacent the upper end of each channel 18, vortex member VC for condenser blower wheel 14 is slotted, as is indicated at 19 in FIGURE 2. This is done to provide room for condensate impelling flange 15. Between the slotted regions, member VC extends across the entire space adjacent the Wheel, in form of a shield, as is well known to the .art. The shield extends from a position spaced from the wheel to a position very close to, but not contacting, the air impelling vanes 16.

In operation, the new condenser cross-flow blower wheel 14 rotates in the direction of the arcuate arrow shown in FIGURE 3. While producing a circulation of air through chamber CC, condenser C, and space 0, and While of course a separate circulation of air is maintained by wheel 13 between evaporator inlet EI and outlet EO (FIGURE 1), the new condenser cross-flow blower also operates effectively to dispose of condensate accumulated in sump 12. For this purpose, as already noted, flanges 15 centrifugally throw condensate water, which they pick up from the sump, into the cross-flow air stream propelled by vanes 16. The condensate is picked up by the rotating flanges from local portions of sump 12, as will be appreciated from inspection of FIGURES 2 and 3, and is then propelled by these flanges into the air stream entering the condenser, while being prevented by shrouds 18 from being expelled without exposure to the condenser coils. The air stream, with drops of the condensate therein, passes over the hot coils and heat exchange surfaces of condenser C, FIGURE 1, and through condenser outlet CO into outer area 0. While passing through the hot condenser, all or most of the condensate water is evaporated.

As clearly shown in FIGURE 3, the air impelling vanes 16 of condenser cross-flow blower 14 are located in such a way, by suitable journalling of blower shaft in air conditioner cabinet 10, that the vanes remain above the condensate level in sump 12. A maximum level for water in the condensate sump can be fixed by well known means, not shown, and in normal operation the condensate level remains substantially constant as the rotating flanges remove all condensate that they encounter in the sump.

While only a single embodiment of the invention has been shown and described, the details thereof are not to be construed as limitative of the invention. The invention contemplates such variations and modifications as come within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In an .air conditioning unit: a refrigerating system having an evaporator and a condenser; means providing for circulation of air in heat exchange relation with the evaporator to cool the air and remove moisture therefrom as condensate; cross-flow blower means having an inlet and an outlet and providing for circulation of air in heat exchange relation with the condenser to cool the latter, said cross-flow blower means including disc means disposed along the axis of the blower and extending generally perpendicular thereto; sump means for receiving said condensate from said evaporator and so disposed that said disc means dips therein whereby to entrain the condensate in the condenser air stream when the blower is.

rotated; and shroud means associated with said disc means to prevent discharge of condensate through said blower inlet opening.

2. In an air conditioning unit as described in claim 1, conduit means extending from a low portion of said evaporator to said sump means for transfer of said condensate to said sump and disc means.

3. An air conditioning unit including: a refrigerating system having an evaporator and a condenser; means providing for circulation of air in heat exchange relation with the evaporator to cool the air and remove moisture therefrom as condensate; cross-flow blower means having an inlet and an outlet and providing for circulation of air in heat exchange relation with the condenser to cool the latter, said cross-flow blower means including a plurality of disc elements disposed along the axis of the blower and extending generally perpendicular thereto; sump means for receiving said condensate from said evaporator and so disposed that said disc elements dip therein whereby to entrain the condensate in the condenser air stream when the blower is rotated; and shroud means associated with each disc element to prevent discharge of condensate through said blower inlet opening.

4. An air conditioning unit as described in claim 3, additionally including a divider between the evaporator and the condenser, and a scroll for said cross-flow blower means, extending from the divider toward the blower means; said conduit means extending through said divider and scroll.

5. An air conditioning unit as described in claim 3, additionally comprising a vortex-forming member extending through the space adjacent the blower means to a position very close to the body of the blower means, said member being slotted in the region of each disc element to accommodate such element.

6. Refrigerating apparatus including an evaporator and a condenser; means to collect condensate water formed on said evaporator; a cross-flow blower wheel having vanes for circulating air from an inlet to and in heat exchange relation with said condenser to cool the latter; a plurality of disc elements secured to said wheel, spaced apart along the axis of the wheel, and extending generally perpendicular thereto; a sump below said cross-flow blower vanes for receiving the collected condensate; means to rotate the wheel in order that, incident to circulation of air, said disc elements entrain the condensate from the sump .and project it into the circulating air; and a shroud associated with each disc element to prevent discharge of condensate through said inlet.

7. Apparatus as described in claim 6 wherein said disc elements and shrouds are spaced along said wheel structure at distances approximately similar to the outer diameters of said disc elements.

8. Apparatus as described in claim 6 additionally comprising vortex baffle structure extending through the space adjacent the blower wheel to a position close to said vanes to aid in said circulation of air, said vortex baffle structure being slotted to accommodate said disc elements and shrouds.

9. Apparatus as described in claim 6, wherein each shroud is stationarily positioned along a portion of the periphery of the corresponding disc element adjacent said inlet to prevent discharge of condensate through said inlet.

10. Apparatus as described in claim 9 wherein each shroud is an arcuate channel concentric with said wheel, partly surrounding a peripheral portion of the corresponding disc element.

' References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,134,349 10/1938 Weiland 62-280 2,219,826 10/ 1940 Swinburne 62280 2,485,733 10/1949 Hart 62-280 2,617,637 11/1952 Moore 62-280 3,200,609 8/ 1965 Laing 62426 X WILLIAM J. WYE, Primary Examiner. 

